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On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 1 - 20 of 80 items
By Donovan Bailey. 2023
A memoir of Olympic glory, the value of mentorship and the courage to champion your own excellence, from the long-reigning…
world's fastest man, Canadian sprinting legend Donovan Bailey.From the lush fields of his boyhood in Jamaica, to the basketball courts of Oakville, where he came of age in one of Canada’s most thriving cultural mosaics, to his sprint toward double Olympic gold for Canada in Atlanta in 1996, Donovan Bailey got a long way on natural talent. But he also learned that in the bureaucratic world of Canadian sports, an athlete who didn't come up in the system needed to take charge of his fate if he was going to become the world’s best. As he ascended from outsider to dominant athlete, others didn’t always understand the rigour at work behind Bailey’s confident demeanour. He’d learned from watching Muhammad Ali that a champion needed to act like a champion. But media grew fixated on the sprinter’s immodesty, the likes of which they never saw from Canadian athletes, especially track athletes in the wake of the Ben Johnson doping scandal at Seoul in 1988. Bailey was having none of it, and when he called out Canada's subtle racism and contradicted the prevailing idea most Canadians had of their country, he left in his wake a media uproar and cracked wide open the nation’s moral complacency. In addition to his unforgettable 100-metre and 4x100 relay gold-medal sprints in Atlanta, Bailey's track career was a litany of records and rare accomplishments, including his audacious 1997 race in Toronto's SkyDome against American 200-metre Olympic champion Michael Johnson to determine who was really the world’s fastest man. There was no disputing the result. Bailey had been coached in success before he was seriously coached in athletics. Following the lead of his father, a machinist-turned-real estate investor, Bailey became a millionaire by the age of 21, an experience he continues to draw on as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Frank about his dominance on the track and unapologetic for expecting as much of those around him as he expects of himself, Undisputed is an athlete's story that refuses to settle for second best.By Matt Christopher, Glenn Stout. 2004
Biography of Curt Schilling, the star pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Details his career from school days and the minor…
leagues to a series of teams in the majors, where he learned to work hard to perfect his game. For grades 4-7. 2004By Yogi Berra, Dave Kaplan. 2003
Autobiography by baseball Hall of Fame catcher highlighting his ten championship seasons with the New York Yankees between 1947 and…
1962. Recalls the "golden years" of baseball, his famous contemporaries, and rival teams and relates how the game has changed since the 1950s. 2003By Glenn Stout. 2005
Biography of the boxer who won the heavyweight world championship in 1964. Relates his subsequent conversion to the Nation of…
Islam and name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. Discusses his career and reasons for retirement. For grades 4-7. 2005By Glenn Stout. 2003
Biography of the world-champion cyclist from Texas. Covers his childhood love for bicycles and the battle with cancer that interrupted…
his racing career. Discusses his achievements and inspirational celebrity as an Olympic medalist and a repeat winner of the Tour de France. For grades 4-7. 2003By Glenn Stout. 2005
Biography of one of the first players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, George Herman "Babe"…
Ruth (1895-1948). Discusses his childhood delinquency, his professional career with the New York Yankees, and his home-run and pitching records. For grades 4-7. 2005By Dale Christopher. 2004
Biography of the author of more than 120 stories about kids and their favorite sports, written by his son. Describes…
how Matt combined his love of baseball and passion for writing in a prolific career. Includes background information about his family and influences on his books. For grades 4-7. 2004By Glenn Stout. 2004
Biography of the popular seven feet five inches tall basketball player from China. Discusses Ming's upbringing in Shanghai, his sports…
career, and his adjustment to living in the United States for the 2002-2003 season. For grades 4-7. 2004By Ken Rappoport. 2006
Presents twelve outstanding athletes of the twentieth century who persevered against racism, sexism, illness, or other obstacles. These men and…
women include boxer Muhammad Ali, gymnast Kerri Strug, cyclist Lance Armstrong, one-handed baseball pitcher Jim Abbott, and figure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva. Uncontracted braille. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2006By Matt Christopher, Glenn Stout, The #1 Sports Writer for Kids. 1998
Biography of one of the top female soccer players in the United States. Describes how Mia Hamm helped her team…
win a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and a victory in the 1999 World Cup championship. Includes a chronology of Hamm's career highlights. For grades 4-7. 1998By Glenn Stout. 2006
Biography of the first African American to play for a major league baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Recounts how Jackie…
Robinson (1919-1972) broke the race barrier in 1947 when segregation dominated American sports. Depicts his talent, belief in racial equality, and strength of character. For grades 4-7. 2006By Stephanie True Peters. 2005
A forty-year history of football's championship games and players. Highlights memorable plays, from the first Super Bowl in 1967 through…
the 2006 game. Discusses triumphs, defeats, and team stars. Includes lists of game results and teams with multiple wins. For grades 4-7. 2006By Glenn Stout. 2007
Biography of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1951-2001), who died in a crash during the Daytona 500. Discusses his career…
and some of his major races. Describes the racing style and technique that made him a champion. For grades 4-7. 2007By Stephanie True Peters. 2007
Highlights some of the most exciting baseball games in the history of the World Series, from the first contest held…
in Boston in 1903 through the 2005 season. Describes the action by star athletes and their teams. For grades 4-7. 2007By Douglas Century. 2006
Biography of Chicago-born boxer Barney Ross (1909-1967), who once claimed to work for Al Capone and had a lifelong friendship…
with Jack Ruby. Highlights Ross's professional sports career, his heroism in World War II, and his struggles with morphine addiction. Some violence and some strong language. 2006By Len Berman. 2005
Sportscaster's collection of bloopers from and odd facts about baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, and tennis. Features players' records, coaches'…
unusual tactics, and fantastic finishes. Recalls the Iowa high school basketball game in which the winning basket was made when the ball bounced off a player's head. Uncontracted braille. 2005By Lance Allred. 2009
Allred describes his childhood in a polygamous Mormon community in Montana. Covers his dealing with hearing loss and obsessive-compulsive disorder.…
Discusses maintaining a high GPA and a dedication to basketball in college--despite having an abusive coach--and eventually earning a stint in the NBA. Some strong language. 2009By Jimmy Breslin. 2011
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist's biography of Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (1881-1965), who integrated major league baseball when he signed African…
American player Jackie Robinson in 1947. Also describes Rickey's invention of the farm system. Some strong language. 2011Short biography of William Powell (1916-2009), who in 1948 was the first African American to build, own, and open a…
golf course--the Clearview Golf Club--for everyone, regardless of race. Discusses his childhood ambitions, hard work, service in the U.S. Army, and family life. For grades 2-4. 2012Biography of American swimmer Gertrude Ederle (1906-2003), who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.…
Discusses her childhood bout with measles that led to permanent hearing loss and describes subsequent achievements, including Olympic medals, world records, and the landmark swim from France to England. 2009